Pneumatic-despatch-tube system.



PATENTED JULY 28, 1903, 0. A. (IRA-Y1 PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE SYSTEM.

N0 MODEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L gal/636 f m: NORRIS PETERS co.. FNOTO-LETHO wummmw. n r

IYPATBNTED JULY 28, 1903,

I G. A GRAY.

PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE SYSTEM; APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1a. 1903.

no MODEL. 2 sums-sum 2.

UNIT D- STATES Patented 1 uly 28, 1903.

YPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. GRAY,1OF CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO GRAY PNEUMATIC CARRIER CO., OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI.

PNEUMA'TlC-D ESPATCH-TUBE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,540, dated July 28, 1903.

I Applicationifiled'February 13, 1903. Serial No. 143,271. (No model.)-

682,985, September 17, l90l,'and is designed'as a special improvement overthe construction embodied therein in the Way of simplicity and reliability of operation, the special improvements residing in the employment of suctionalaction before and pressure behind the carriers to facilitate their traverse of the tubes and a more direct and positive shortcircuiting of the air-current.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel features of construction "and or ganization, as hereinafter described, and

pointed out in appended claims, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a pneumatic-despatch-tube system embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig; 3 is an enlarged;

vertical section of one of the delivery-terminals, the valve thereof, the return-air tube, and the valve for admit'tiugoutside air to said tube to insure the ejection of the carrier. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the valve-con trolled carrier-receiver located at the cashiers station.

. Before proceeding scription it should be stated that the drawings represent and the description refers to but one of many conduits leading, respectively, from and to a large pressure-tank and a large suctional tank, said tanks being 10- cated'at the cashiers station.

' The blower (not shown, because of common or well-known construction, and preferably located in the cellar of the building) is connected by a tube 6 to the pressure-tank 7,

5o below the cashiers counter 8, and from said with the detailed detank, pipe 9 leads up through the counter to the receiver-coupling 10, the front end of said coupling having a flaring mouth 11 to facilitate the quick and-easy insertion of the carrier,'(not shown-,) said coupling being equipped with a hinged valve 12, held normally'closed against the entrance of air through said month by a spring 13, and the pressure of air passing up through pipe 9 and adapted under the pressure of a carrier insorted through said month by the cashier to I temporarily cover, though not necessarily perfectly, the upper end of said 'pipe, so that the suctional action of the blower shall draw the carrier back through the coupling and up through the pipe 14, connected to its rear end, the said valve springing back to itsv original or normal position as soon as the car" rier passes under the action of its spring and the pressure of the air entering the coupling through pipe 9, it being understood that such air-pressure may alone be sufficient to efiect this object. The opposite end of pipe 14 is disposed downwardly, by preference, and connects with the receiving-arm 15 of the delivery-terminal, disposed over a sales-counter or its equivalent. This delivery-terminal, which is of tubular construction and of substantially ogee-curved form, also comprises a delivery-arm 16 and a branch arm 17, the communicating opening 18 between the branch arm'and the body portion being disposed between the receiving and delivery arms and of smaller area than the carrier by preference, though a trigger 19 guards against any possibility, of the carrier being defleotedlaterally toward said opening. This trigger is pivoted to the terminal in opening 18 and has its handle end normally projected'into the main passage and held in such position bythe pressure on its opposite end of a valve 20, hinged, as at 21, to the terminal and normally closing the opening 22 of the branch arm l7,'said:opening being for the .purpose of admitting outside air to the branch arm and preventing suctional action from exerting a back pull, which would interfere in some degree with the furtheradvance of the carrier, the latter, it being understood, being the instrument which strikes and operates the trigger with the effect described.

The carrier, while holding the trigger-arm depressed and the said valve 20 open, as shown in dotted lines,'Fig. 3,strikes the hinged valve 23, controlling the main passage of the terminal, the impact throwing said valve to the open position,(shown in dotted lines,same figure,) said valve having a weight 24 to return it to closed position as the descending carrier drops down upon the sales-counter 25.

26 designates a substantially U -sbaped coupling connected at one end to branch arm 17and Sui-mounting, by preference, a pedestal 27, secured to the counter, said coupling being provided with a spring-actuated door 28, which the clerk opens for the purpose of reintroducing the carrier charged with a salesslip and the purchase money or its representative paid by the customer, said door immedialely closing under the power of its spring and the suctional action exerted for the purpose of conveying the carrier through the tube 29 to the delivery-terminal at the cashiers station, which terminal is of precisely the same construction as the one described and correspondingly numbered. This cashiers terminal instead of dropping the carrier directly upon the cashiers counter, however, discharges it into a delivery-tube 30, said tube curving downward toward the front of the counter for the purpose of checking the speed of the carrier by friction and arresting it within convenient reach of the cashier. The tube connects, preferably, with a casting 31, closed at its front end to finally check the carrier and provided with a slot 32 to permit of its ready removal by the cashier for the purpose of extracting the sales-slip and the money or its representative therein, after which, with the proper change, it is again despatched to the sales-station by insertion in receiving-coupling 10. Casting 31 is supported, preferably, upon the counter at its closed end and upon a bracket 33, secured to the counter.

The branch arm 17 of the cashiers statio delivery-terminal is connected to the tube 34, leading to the suctional tank 35 below the cashiers counter, and from said tank a pipe 36 leads to the blower, the arrangement being such that the air is circulated through the tubes. To recapitulate briefly, this circuit is from the blower through pipe 6 to tank '7, thence through tube 9,coupling 10,tube 14,de livery-terminal of sales-station, coupling 26, tube 29,delivery-terminal of cashiers station, tube 3- tank 35, and pipe 36 back to the blower, a suction being thereby produced in advance and a pressure behind each carrier to insure its reliable travel, with about half the power necessary where pressure or suction alone is employed.

The tube 34, leading to the suction-tank, is equipped with a device 43 for the purpose of intercepting and pocketing paper moneyor salesslips which may escape while in transit from the carrier and be drawn by the air through branch arm 17 of the delivery-terminal down through said tube, said device also serving as a means whereby the air-current through the tube maybe regulated. This device being similar in all respects to that illus trated and described in the patent hereinbefore identified is not detailed or particularly described in this connection.

The system may, furthermore, be equipped with means for instantly dislodging a carrier or other article sticking in the tube, such as that shown in Fig. 6 and described in lines 18 to 50, page 3, of the aforesaid patent.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a pneumatic-depatch-tube system embodying the features of ad vantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention and Which may obviously be modified in various particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved.

Having thus described theinvention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a tubular deliveryterminal, having its pas sage terminating in a receiving-arm and a delivery-arm connected to tubes of the system, a branch arm connected to a tube of the system, and projecting from the terminal and comm unicatingwith its passage between said first-named arms, and provided with a valvecontrolled opening, and means, adapted to be actuated by a carrier passing through the terminal, for opening the branch-arm valve.

2. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a delivery-terminal having its passage terminating in a receiving-arm and a delivery-arm, a valve normally closing the latter with a yielding pressure, and adapted to be opened by the impact of a carrier passing through the terminal, a branch arm projecting from the terminal and communicating with its passage between said first-named arms, and means adapted to be actuated by the passing carrier before the latter strikes the firstnarned valve, for opening the branch-arm valve.

3. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a

delivery-terminal having its passage terminating in a receiving-arm and a delivery-arm, a branch arm communicating with said passage between the first-named arms and provided with an opening, a valve closing said opening with a yielding pressure, and a trigger pivoted in the terminal and adapted to be operated by a carrier passing from the receiving to the delivery arm of the terminal, and to open said valve for the purpose set forth.

at. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a tube connecting the cashiers and sales station, and provided at the former with a coupling having a valve closing its mouth, a pipe to conduct air into said coupling and adapted to be closed at its upper end by said valve as a carrier is inserted into the coupling, a delivery-terminal at the sales-station having a receiving-arm connected to the contiguous ICC end of the first-named tube, a valve normally closing with a yielding pressure the deliveryarm of said terminal, a branch arm communicating-with said terminal between its firstnamed arms, a carrier-operated valve to admit external air to the terminalbefore the first-named valve is opened, a door-controlled coupling connected to saidbranch arm, a tube extending from said coupling to the cashiers station, a delivery-terminal attached thereto and provided with a valve normally closing its delivery-arm, and a valve controlling the entrance of air to its branch arm, and a suction-pipe attached to the latter.

5. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a tube connecting the cashiers and sales station, and provided at the'former with a coupling having a valve closing its mouth, a pipe to conduct air into said coupling and adapted to be closed at its upper end by said valve as a carrier is inserted into the coupling, a delivery-terminal at the sales-station having a receiving-arm connected to the contiguous end of the first-named tube, a valve normally closing with a yielding pressure the deliveryarm of said terminal, a branch arm communicating with said terminal between its firstnamed arms, a carrier-operated valve to admit external air to the terminal before the first-named valve is opened, a door-controlled coupling connected .to said branch arm, a tube extending from said coupling to the cashiers station, a delivery-terminal attached thereto and provided with a valve normally closing its delivery-arm and a valve controlling the entrance of air to its branch arm, a suctionpipe attached to the latter, and a curved delivery-tube connected to the delivery-arm of said cashiers station delivery-terminal.

6. In a pneumatic-despatch-tube system, a tube connecting the cashiers and sales stations, and provided at the former with a coupling having a valve closing its mouth, a pipe to conduct air into said coupling and adapted" named arms, a carrier-operated valve to admit external air to the terminal before the first-named valve is opened, adoor-controlled coupling connected to said branch arm, a tube extending from said coupling to the cashiers station, a delivery-terminal attached thereto and provided with a valve normally closing its delivery-arm and a valve controlling the entrance of air to its branch arm, a suctionpipe attached to the latter, a suction-tank. connected to said pipe, and a curved deliverytube connected to the delivery-arm of said cashiers station delivery-terminal.

In testimony whereof I aflix 'my signature in the presence of two witnesses. CHARLES A. GRAY.

Witnesses:

H. O. RODGERS, v G. Y. THORPE. 

